The DeFi Education Fund Announces Leadership Transition

Amanda Tuminelli appointed as Executive Director 

The DeFi Education Fund (DEF) is thrilled to announce that Amanda Tuminelli has been appointed as Executive Director, effective March 17, 2025. Amanda will also remain DEF’s Chief Legal Officer. 

Amanda succeeds Miller Whitehouse-Levine who is stepping down to pursue a new, to-be-announced opportunity. Miller will join the Board of DEF and continue to be an advocate for decentralized finance (DeFi). 

“I have made the difficult decision to leave my current role at DeFi Education Fund to pursue a new opportunity – a decision ultimately made easy knowing that Amanda’s incredibly capable leadership, passion, and brilliance will lead DEF to new heights in service of the DeFi community,” said Miller Whitehouse-Levine. “As a DEF Board Member, I look forward to supporting Amanda and the DEF team as they continue championing the promise of DeFi.”  

Amanda has served as DEF’s Chief Legal Officer since March 2023. Prior to joining DEF, Amanda was a lawyer at Kobre & Kim, where she defended clients against criminal and regulatory investigations, government enforcement actions, and large scale litigation, particularly in the crypto and blockchain space. She previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Ann M. Donnelly of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and practiced at Dechert LLP in their white-collar and securities litigation group.

“For the first time in DeFi’s history, there is a significant, bipartisan group of U.S. policymakers and regulators thinking proactively and constructively about sensible crypto legislation, regulatory frameworks, and the way they fit with technological innovation, and our mission at DeFi Education Fund has never been more important,” said Amanda Tuminelli, Executive Director and Chief Legal Officer of DeFi Education Fund.

“At its core, DeFi is a transformative technology aimed at making finance more transparent, accessible, efficient, and cost effective, and the builders and early adopters of this technology – DeFi software developers and users – are the future of financial services. I, and the entire DEF team, are deeply motivated to advocate for their DeFi interests as we work with lawmakers to ensure that financial innovation flourishes in the United States.” 

The DEF team thanks Miller for his leadership, vision, and important work, and we look forward to working together in his new capacity as DEF Board Member.